Love, love, love... - Love and neuroscience

We all know what happens, how we feel, we have all experienced it in some way.

But let's try to think about "love" from another point of view, a different perpective. What happens in our brain when we fall in love at first sight? And what happens when we look into the eyes of the person we love?

The part of our brain which is involved here is the Limbic system, nothing rational about it!

It is acknowledged that love happens one step at a time, from desire, through a "falling in love" phase, to romantic love.

Each of these phases is characterised by different hormonal activities.

The first, the one of the sexual encounter, is mediated by the sexual hormones par excellence: Estrogens and Testosterone.

Another important hormone is Phenethylamine. It belongs to the same class of amphetamines and is mainly produced in the “falling in love” phase; it is also addictive. Studies have proven that this particular hormone is absent in people who are not in love, while in is present in high levels (and sometimes equally in couples!) in people who have romantic feelings for someone. Phenethylamine in some occasions can make our irrational side take over: it is because of it that we think that our partner is perfect, beautiful and flawless!

The effect of Phenethylamine lasts about 6 months, during which it stimulates the production of Dopamine, a very important neurotransmitter involved not only in love but also in the creation of drug addictions and particular behaviours. This is why we wish to spend our whole time with the person we love. We want him/her so much that he/her absorbs all our attention.

In a sexual intercourse, but also in caresses and hugging, Oxytocin is essential and responsible also for long-term love, stable relationships and faithfulness.

When the “falling in love” phase is over it is the turn of romantic love: together with Oxytocin are released Endorphines, which have the same properties of morphine and opium. In fact, these reduce anxiety and give positive feelings and a sense of peace.